I believe the Lord wants me to share with you a recent dream and His heart toward the spirit of religion that He is dealing with in the Church.
Here is the dream and the interpretation:
DREAM FROM THE LORD
I was walking the halls of a high school.
I saw a very prominent pastor and I saw him hobble and fall over.
No one else saw this pastor.
I hurried to this pastor's aid and asked if he were alright.
He was not in his right mind.
The pastor looked much older than I remembered. There had been an acceleration in his decline.
I knew his mental clarity had been diminished, by some deteriorating condition.
The pastor was well dressed. He was wearing a three-piece suit and a hat. The suit was well pressed and obviously very expensive.
But he had somehow removed his coat.
An angel rushed over to see about this pastor and kindly asked him, "What’s wrong with your hair?"
His hair was disheveled.
The angel was gently making a joke as if to say, "Get yourself cleaned up."
The pastor even chuckled.
I remember asking him,"Do you understand me? Can you understand me?"
He shook his head, "No."
I got up and began to look for his things, his hat had fallen off.
I saw some additional pants and the spirit shared with me they were pants the pastor put on over his suit pants.
These additional pants were crispy and very starched.
These were all super high-quality and custom-tailored suit elements.
I looked for hangars to put his hat and overcoat, out of honor for him.
I noticed the hangers along the school hallway were packed with other clothes.
And I wanted to find the sturdiest and nicest hangar for him, out of honor for him and respect for his clothing as well.
Here is the interpretation of the dream:
The fact I was walking inside a "high school" indicates I was seeing in the spirit realm. This dream is not literally about the pastor only. It is giving insight into what's happening on a "higher level."
This prominent, aging pastor represents religion, old-school church, the tradition of "church" that the Lord is allowing to die away.
I was the only person who saw this fall, meaning, many won't notice this shift.
I can only be discerned by the Spirit.
But it is happening.
The spirit of religion has robbed many in the Church, many pastors and church leaders of their ability to walk by faith.
This is what the stumble represents AND the pastor's inability to understand me. His lack of mental acuity represents how church tradition has replaced the mind of Christ.
Remember...
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction." Proverbs 1:7 NKJV
Pastors and church leaders who don't walk in reverence to the ways and direction of God can't think as they should. They've been blinded by religion.
The pastor's accelerated decline shows how the Lord is accelerating the decline of religious tradition in His Church. Religion is a disease that has robbed the Church of her right mind, which is the mind of Christ, and the Lord is allowing the disease to remove a generation of leaders who have not aligned with His heart.
The Lord is saying to me He is not concerned about the outward appearance of our church services.
It’s about the heart.
The Pharisees were concerned about outward appearances too. And they were rebuked by the Lord.
Here is what the Word of God says:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. E Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Matthew 23:25-28 NKJV
Simply put, THE OLD WAY OF DOING CHURCH IS DYING.
This is not about doctrine, but the traditions of men that have slid into the church and have been made to look like doctrine.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Lord is making himself clear in this dream that we are still to honor the leaders in the church. I treated the pastor's belongings with respect.
However, we are not supposed to honor false doctrine.
Our traditions often honor men and certain people more than they honor God.
And that... is idolatry.
The Word of the Lord is this:
“…..Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” Hebrews 8:13 NKJV
In prayer, I kept hearing “I desire mercy not sacrifice.”
This is the heart of God.
He's not impressed by our religious exercises that are based on His pattern for worship.
He wants pure worship.
“For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6 NKJV
There are many who will not reckon with this.
They won't be willing to pay the price of humility to admit they're walking in error.
There are many who are self-righteous. They know a lot. But they don't know God's heart.
The removal of the pastor's overcoat represents his decision to remove his covering, or his righteousness.
Much like the prophet's cloak or the high priest's ephod, the coat represents the righteousness of God that He places on people for them to minister under His guidance and anointing.
Without his coat, this pastor is now walking in self-righteousness and he is exposed to potential harm.
The Lord desires that we walk in His righteousness, not our own.
“Go and learn what this [Scripture] means: ‘I desire compassion [for those in distress], and not [animal] sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call [to repentance] the [self-proclaimed] righteous [who see no need to change], but sinners [those who recognize their sin and actively seek forgiveness].” Matthew 9:13 AMP
****HERE IS THE HOPE IN THIS DREAM*****
Notice how there were clothes on hangers in the hallway.
These represent the younger generation who are in class (school of the Spirit) and preparing to lead God's people.
They're hung up their outward adornments and chosen to sit with the Lord and learn His ways!
There is a coming shift in the Church that will involve younger leaders with a pure heart toward God.
In prayer, I also came across this verse that broke my heart.
It breaks my heart because many have been led astray by leaders who don't know God.
And their worship is in vain.
"And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7:7 NKJV
Please join me in praying for leaders and worshippers to awaken to this truth.
The Lord wants pure fellowship with His people that is devoid of distractions and commandments and traditions of men.
Pray that eyes will be opened to the wonders and beauty of Jesus.
May we seek to see the beauty of His holiness, in pure adoration.
At any cost!
PRAY WITH ME:
Lord, we ask you to take the blinders off! Teach us your ways and show us your paths. Lead us into your truth and teach us.
We pray for our leaders to take on the righteousness of God. We pray for your Church have one desire, for her BRIDEGROOM!
Lord Jesus, we adore you. We adore Father. We adore you Abba. Release us from the grip of self-righteousness.
Remove our denominations. We curse every doctrine of man to die. Lead us and guide us by your goodness, your sweetness.
We adore you Lord. Be our first love. May our hearts cry for you and thirst for you only. Give us the sweet fear of the Lord.
This is what we pray, in the name of Jesus. AMEN."One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple." Psalm 27:4 NKJV
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